Duff Man’s MLB debut didn’t go quite as planned, unless the plan was to walk six batters in four innings. I’m guessing that wasn’t the case though. So it wasn’t a fairy tale beginning for the Royals prospect, oh well. The good news is we can scoop up Danny Duffy at a discount rates. The ugly line from Wednesday’s game against the Texas Rangers [4 IP, 4 H, 6 BB, 2 ER, 4 K] should scare away those who frighten easily. Duffy’s 10.75 K/9 and 2.50 BB/9 from AAA are the kind of numbers we look for, Danny may find himself on a few of my teams. Just for comparisons sake, Michael Pineda posted a 10.97 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9 in AAA. More Duff Man action after the jump.

“On Wednesday, Duffy worked at 92-94, never pitching below 91 and reaching 96 mph twice. And throughout the outing he routinely touched 95 mph. Not only were the raw radar gun readings highly impressive, but the late hop and run that continually allowed him to miss both lefty and righty bats stood out even more. Duffy is able to change eye levels and work at the top of the strike zone, something most pitchers are unable to pull off. He’s at his best when he’s pounding the zone with his fastball and merely sprinkling in his secondary offerings.”

Frankie wrote that back in November. This Wednesday (according to Brooks Baseball) Duffy maxed out at 96.7 mph while averaging 93.49 mph with his four-seam fastball. Not too shabby from the lefty. More from Frankie..

“If you are looking for a comparison, one of the more clear-cut ones out there is Cole Hamels. The fastball velocity is almost exactly the same, the bodies are similar, and they both work in curveballs and changeups as their primary secondary pitches. Of course, Hamels’ changeup, being one of the best in the game, is at a different level, and he also has the cutter in his arsenal, so there are some caveats to this comparison. But they are certainly left-handers cut from similar cloth.”

So we have a Left Handed Pitcher who put up stupid numbers in AAA, throws upwards of 96 mph, was the No.4 prospect in a stacked system and was compared to Cole Hamels by a notable scout. Texas, even without Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz, is a tough matchup for a 22-year old kid making his MLB debut. I am overlooking the auspicious start and throwing around a few FAAB bids. I already blew my free agent funny monies in a couple leagues, but in the others, I’ll be singing the Duff Man song. Oh yeah.